Search Results for: economy
The state of the economy
Politicians love to throw around economic statistics on the campaign trail. We put together a nonpartisan primer to help you cut through the spin.
July 2025 market update
June saw a further complication of the macro situation as U.S. military involvement in Iran was added to ongoing tariff confusion and a worsening of the economic outlook for the balance of 2025 and into 2026. The month also saw the progress through Congress of the āBig, Beautiful Billā that will potentially massively increase the deficit and a very public breakup between the richest man in the world and the most powerful one.
May 2025 market update
April began with the shock of tariff announcements that were much more punitive than anticipated by businesses, markets, investors, and economists. Equity markets promptly pulled back, even entering bear territory, although not closing there.
March 2025 market update
The new administrationās priority of āreindustrializing the U.S.ā is coming into focus as tariff announcements - even if softened or rescinded - indicated that this is a policy, not just a campaign plank. Throughout the month, the Department of Government Efficiency (āDOGEā) continued its mandate of shrinking government with a raft of layoffs. Headlines on these two topics led to growing fears that an increasingly pessimistic consumer would stop spending, and that inflation would begin to spike once more. While the market response throughout February was to react with higher volatility, equities largely closed out February with only moderate losses.
What is “the economy”?
In this article, weāll look at the different parts that make up the broader economy as we know it, as well as our favorite indicators to watch when evaluating how strong the economy is each month.
June 2025 market update
May was a month of differing perspectives. Markets turned positive on a belief that a solution on tariffs would be eventually forthcoming, and the continued whipsawing headlines began to have a muted impact. The Fed stuck to its position that more data was needed before a further move on rates. Economic data remained positive, painting the picture of an economy that is still healthy and potentially resilient. Economists and other observers, however, began to tilt somewhat towards a scenario in which challenges begin to arise.
April 2025 market update
The month started out on a positive note as CPI came in lower than expected, creating a brief respite from worries about the impact of tariffs. It was short-lived, as the result of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting at mid-month was policy stasis with no changes to rates. Even more unsettling to the markets was the Fedās signal of fewer rate cuts in 2025.
February 2025 market update
January seemed to go on forever, as the country faced extreme weather and devasting wildfires. The new administration got underway with a lot of sound and fury, particularly around tariffs, which had been a highlight ā or a wild card ā of the campaign promises. This temporarily caused some market turmoil, but a reversal in short order seemed to validate the marketās perception that this business-oriented administration may have a bark that is worse than its bite.
